Backplate for folding chair



' Oct. 23, 1956 Y J B, ADLER 2,767,780

BACKPLATE FOR FOLDING CHAIR Filed Jan. 26, 1954 IN V EN TOR.

Joli/V a. AbtER. BY

A TTORA/EY United States Patent BACKPLATE FOR FOLDING CHAIR John B. Adler, Grosse Ille, Mich., assignor to Shwayder Bisithers, Inc., Denver, 0010., a corporation of Colora 0 Application January 26, 1954, Serial No. 406,282

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-194) This invention pertains to a back plate construction for a chair, and more particularly to a back plate construction for a folding chair.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a novel and unitary back plate construction for a folding chair.

It is the further object of the present invention to provide a novel back plate construction, together with a novel method of securing the same to the chair frame.

It is the further object of the present invention to provide a novel back plate construction for a folding chair, which may be easily assembled and dis-assembled from the chair frame, and which avoids welding.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claims, in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the upper portion of a folding chair frame, illustrating the mounting of the back plate thereon.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a projected section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with the parts shown in telescoped relation.

It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth.

Referring to the drawing, folding chairs of the type contemplated herein, include an inverted U-shaped tubular frame, including the leg elements 11 and 12 and the formed top portion 13, adjacent which and between the upper ends of said leg elements back plate 18 is positioned and secured, in the manner hereafter described.

The upper portion of the leg elements 11 and 12 have inward formations 14, which terminate in the continuous substantially flat plate 15, which extends from the inner or front face of the frame and terminates in the intersecting formed flat plate portion 16, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The cross-sectional shapes of the plates 15 and 16. which form a portion of the tubular construction of said frame are fiat, neverthreless longitudinally the plates 15 and 16 co-extensively follow the shape and contour of the tubular elements 11, 12, 13 of the chair frame, and as shown in the drawing.

There is provided a unitary, preferably, metallic back plate, generally indicated at 18, and which includes a continuous flange 17 along the sides and top portions of said plate and which projects from adjacent portions of said plate at an obtuse angle.

Said back plate also includes the substantially straight and flat upper portion 19, which towards the lower portion thereof is concaved as at 20, the lower edge thereof being rolled rearwardly as at 22, and being generally of arcuate shape, as indicated at 21.

A series of transverse apertures 23 are formed through flange 17 at spaced points adapted to receive the sheet metal fastening screws 25.

In assemblying the back plate to the formed upper portions of the chair frame, said back plate is introduced from the rear side of the frame, preferably, so that the flange 17 registers with and is substantially co-extensive with the plate formation 15 in the interior surface of the chair frame, as shown. The plate has a series of spaced transverse apertures 24 adapted to threadedly receive the screws 25 for eflectively securing said flange and said back plate within the upper portion of said frame.

As shown in Fig. 3, the rear edge of flange 17 registers with the forward portion of plate 16, where it meets plate 15 to positively and properly locate said flange in the assembly of the back plate thereto.

By this construction, all welding is eliminated and the prefabricated or pre-formed back plate is mechanically and easily assembled within the frame and secured thereto by the screws 25. It, therefore, follows that the back plate may be removed, if desired, just as easily.

Having described my invention, reference should now be had to the claims which follow for determining the scope thereof.

I claim:

1. In a folding chair, an inverted U-shaped tubular frame, a formed back platepositioned within the upper end of said frame, a continuous flat flange projecting angularly from said plate at its sides and top mounted within said frame and a plurality of spaced screws extending through said flange and through aligned apertures upon the interior of said frame, said flange projecting rearwardly from said plate at an obtuse angle to adjoining portions thereof, corresponding portions of said frame adjacent said flange being flattened to cooperatively receive said flange.

2. In the chair of claim 1, portions of said frame adjacent said flattened portions being flattened and arranged at an obtuse angle to said first flattened portion defining a continuous stop for the peripheral edge of said flange.

3. In a folding chair, an inverted U-shaped tubular frame of circular cross section, the upper portion of said frame being of substantially semi-circular cross section, and including a pair of continuous flattened portions upon the interior of said frame arranged at an obtuse angle to each other, a formed back plate positioned within the upper end of said frame, a continuous rearwardly extending flange projecting an ularly from said plate at its sides and top bearing against one of said flattened portions, and a plurality of spaced screws extending through said flange and aligned apertures in said first flattened portion, said other flattened portion where it intersects the first flattened portion forming a positive stop for the peripheral edge of said flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,709,374 Rodstein et al. Apr. 16, 1929 2,103,874 Shwayder Dec. 28, 1937 2,364,647 OConnor Dec. 12, 1944 2,458,890 Booth Jan. 11, 1949 2,620,019 Merrill et al. Dec. 2, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 160,398 Switzerland May 1, 1933 

